Vegetation and climate of the Butënai Interglacial (Holsteinian) in Lithuania

Abstract

Palaeobotanical (mainly palynological) data from 38 sections of Lithuania and adjacent areas were used in order to resolve some palaeogeographical problems. The Butënai Interglacial (Holsteinian) had one distinct climatic optimum, represented by the B2-B4 pollen zones. This was a period of warm and wet climate with notable mild winters. The average annual temperature might have been 2-4°C warmer and the annual precipitation some 300 mm greater than at present in Lithuania. There was probably no permanent snow cover during winters. Isopollen maps for the main forest constituents allow deduction of the directions of migration of individual tree taxa.